ISSUE #55 2019
SOMMORE +
Luciana Maria. Darius Norman. Ty Brasel. Guy Torry. Earthquake. Aspect Zavi.
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2019, what up?!?! I set some personal and business goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end of 2018 and majority of them, I nailed. The few that I didn’t became priority for this year but overall, I’m happy with last year’s growth. I have a few small goals I’d like to reach this year but for the most part, the mission is to be better than we were the previous year. We have a lot planned for this year and will start making announcements during 2nd quarter. I’m exited about our new endeavors and partnerships and I also want to shout out our day ones as well. It doesn’t feel like it but we will be reaching our 10year anniversary this fall. Crazy, right? This is going to be a great year! Tyrone Davis
Contributing Writers: Lucky Smith Corletha Norman, MSW, LCSW Treavion Davenport Contact: twenty4sevenmagazine.com twenty4sevenmagazine@gmail.com youtube.com/twenty4sevenmagazine Twitter: @twenty4sevenmag Instagram: @twenty4sevenmagazine Facebook: Twenty4Seven Magazine Editor Contact: brightwoodentertainment.com brightwoodentertainment@gmail.com youtube.com/brightwoodent Twitter: @brightwoodent Instagram: @brightwoodentertainment Facebook: Tyrone Brightwood Davis Phone: 404-409-6553
CONTENTS 4 LUCIANA MARIA 5 YOUR COMFORT ZONE... 6-7 DARIUS NORMAN 8-9 TY BRASEL 10-12 SOMMORE 13 PICS: 2009-2019 14-15 GUY TORRY 16-17 EARTHQUAKE 18 ASPECT ZAVI TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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YOUR COMFORT ZONE
WILL KILL YOU! BY CORLETHA NORMAN, MSW, LCSW
COMING TO THEATERS. CATCH A FLICK.
PHOTO: LUCIANA MARIA
It’s that time. That time when the gym is usually inundated with health and fitness newbies. A time when calendars, journals and planners are being ripped off of the store shelves. That time when friends and family members get together to amp each other up about their plans and what they look to accomplish. New year new you right?
LUCIANA MARIA HELLO LULU Words + Interview By Lucky Smith Luciana Maria aka Lulu Beatz is a singer/songwriter from Portland who also produces and engineers her own music. The following is an excerpt of our interview with her. How did you grow up? I grew up in a household that always had music playing. It’d be a little of everything like Andrea Bocelli, Abba, Spice Girls, James Brown, Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra and Madonna. My parents’ music tastes are broad so I didn’t know anything different than to love all types of music. One of my fondest memories was when my grandpa and I would get in his chili red Durango and he would put in a cassette he had of his favorite songs. Our theme song on that cassette was “I Feel Good” by James Brown. I’m sure people thought we were crazy since we would be dancing and singing at the top of our lungs. I always just knew that I was going to create music. In what ways has producing your own music and editing your music videos been beneficial to your career thus far? It has propelled me in so many ways. I’ve gained respect in the recording studio since I’m not another female signer with brown hair walking in. I have found along the way that there is a change of tone in the room once people learn I do everything concerning my music from the production of the beat to the songwriting and vocals. It has given me confidence knowing what is going on in the studio, plus I’m able to translate my ideas since I know the engineering and producing language. Why do you think a song like “Natural” resonates with your fans and why is the record important to you? I truly believe Natural is the song that I exposes me most and my fans love seeing that vulnerable side of me. When I wrote it at age 15, I wasn’t writing from experience, but rather putting myself in the shoes of someone that might experience a similar situation. I think a lot of us women look for acceptance in our significant others and when you are completely raw or natural with them there sometimes is a need of reasTWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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surance that they still love and accept you no matter what. The song is important to me because it was my first song that helped me and my fans relate on a whole new level. Elaborate on the following Tweet: A. I am at a point where I want to have the people around me help me and push me to a better me, rather than me pushing others to just get the job done... Growth hurts. I have a certain caliber I want my career to be at and for that to happen I need the professionals and talents around me to achieve this. You can’t expect a lamb to be a lion. Speaking of Twitter, artist Mark Battles is from our city (Indianapolis) and we’ve watched his career blossom over the years. We happened to see him in your Twitter feed a few times. Have you had the opportunity to work with him yet? No, I haven’t been able to work with him yet! I was introduced to his music back in high school by one of my really good family friends that is a rapper and was one of his opening acts for the Numb tour. I attended his concert back in Portland, Oregon and I was able to go back stage and meet some other artists but I never got the chance to meet Battles himself. Maybe sometime he and I will cross paths!
When it comes to setting and achieving goals, most of the time the path to achievement looks something like a roller coaster. There is no straight and forward moving trajectory. It is full of many ups, downs, and loops. Not to mention the people that show up to support that are actually there to witness your ride for their own entertainment. Because of these two factors, many people either never leave or end up returning to their comfort zones. You can stand firm in the fact that your ride will stand the test of time by setting smart goals. These particular goals are called ‘smart’ because they encompass five characteristics that not only spell the word, (the first letter of all characteristics combined spells the word smart,) but also cover five major pitfalls to success. The characteristics are: simple, attainable, measurable, realistic, and timely. Mindset is something that I explore pretty regularly with my clients. Many of the major battles we face mentally are caused by our own mental distortions. For example, how do you plan to reach that goal of yours if you keep sabotaging your efforts because you are afraid of failing? Figure out what it is that makes you afraid to fail and set a smart goal around it. Your comfort zone will kill the quality of your existence. Push Yourself past your comfort zone to make your goals a reality. If you would like to read the full article, please check out my blog at www.bonhomiellc.com.
When you’re not making music, what do you like to do? I love to spending time with my family and cooking with my family but…if they are busy, I LOVE to shop! Tell us something about yourself most don’t know. I hate potatoes but I love french fries. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? “No one judges your self worth, more than your self.” Visit us at www.twenty4sevenmagazine.com to read the full interview. Also, follow Luciana Maria on social media @LuluBeatz or check out her website, www.LuluBeatz.com!
CORLETHA NORMAN, MSW, LCSW
is Owner and Clinical Director of Bonhomie, LLC. She has over ten years of experience in the world of social work. This includes mental health therapy, intensive in home therapy for high risk, foster and DFCS/DCBS clients, family and individual therapy, couples therapy, trauma focused therapy, juvenile justice intervention, case management, advocacy, and mentorship. She can be reached at www.bonhomiellc.com.
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DARIUS NORMAN Rewriting Financial Rules! Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis
The following is an excerpt from our interview with social worker, advocate, author and radio host Darius Norman. We spoke about financial management, understanding credit and student loans and his book, “Rewriting Financial Rules!” which is available on Amazon. To read the interview in full, visit us at www.twenty4sevenmagazine.com. Give us a few details about yourself and your upbringing. I’m originally from Birmingham, AL. I was born and raised there. My father is a pastor and my mother is a schoolteacher so I grew up in a fairly decent home with a middle class family. Education was very key in our household and they were very stable, financially. I went to Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA and while attending I realized that I didn’t have the social skills or life skills to handle my personal finances. I didn’t realize that having good credit and not defaulting on my student loans or becoming delinquent on my credit cards was going to be that important going forward as an adult. Later on in life as I progressed and got into my career as a social worker, those debts were out of control so I had to make some outrageous adjustments. Atlanta has a lot of black entrepreneurs and black people as a whole who are thriving. How did you manage to turn things around there? I’ve been a social worker now for 15 years. I was living above my means, spending more than I was actually generating. I had to make a lifestyle adjustment. I downgraded and moved about 75 miles outside of the city of Atlanta and I rented a 1-bedroom/1 bathroom apartment for $350 (per month). Lol, it wasn’t comfortable but I needed to do that to pay off all of my debts, repair my credit and put myself in a different position. So that experience caused you to write a book. Let’s talk about your book. I created Rewriting Financial Rules! because I wanted to create an educational tool for those who are facing some of the same dilemmas that I was once faced with. It’s a playbook, the strategy I utilized to repair and build my credit scores back up to a place where I was able to buy a home with no money down. I was able to purchase a vehicle with only a $170 car note payment. That was just by me making that adjustment. The book gives you different options and shows you how to utilize them correctly.
PHOTO: TYRONE DAVIS
A lot of times, our people will get a hold of something online and run with it, becoming sellers of that product. People were selling Flat Tummy Tea. People were selling all kinds of health juices, Noni juices, Legal Shield and things of that nature. It seems like now the thing to sell is credit repair services. Some of these salesmen and saleswomen seem like average Joes. I don’t know what’s going on in that particular market but maybe you can give some insight on it. I’m glad you pointed that out because there are a lot of charlatans out here. Yes, credit repair has become a multi marketing scheme. You’re seeing companies who say they can remove all of these negative items from your credit report and raise your credit score by 300 points within 30 days. It’s not realistic. My process took 2 years. I went from a 527 to a 720 in that time frame. The difference between myself and other companies is that I’m not selling a credit repair service. It is good to get a credit repair service and there are some reputable companies out here. I list a few in my book. I’m trying to educate individuals on how to repair it themselves. It educates people about their rights as consumers. They have some protections out here. Instead of selling a product, mine is more of a consumer advocacy service. I help people protect themselves from practices of debt collection agencies.
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Entrepreneurship is on the rise within our community. I believe over the last few years, a very large number of black businesses have been started. One thing that I’ve noticed about Atlanta is that there are entrepreneurs all over the place. Pretty much, every type of business you can think of, there is a black owned version of it in Atlanta. What kind of advice do you have for those who aren’t going to college and want to get straight into starting their own business? Sure, you don’t have to go to college and have a traditional 9-5. I’d say make sure you have a good credit score. You know, as a new entrepreneur, you only need a credit score of 680 to obtain a small business loan. Also, make sure you have a business plan in place as well as a team. You need support around you to get your vision off the ground. You might have to start off from your home where it’d be inexpensive. Take the baby steps. Make sure you get your company registered, business license, EIN number (Free), etc. Those are only $100-$160. Don’t forget your business bank account as well. Establish business credit by contacting Dun & Bradstreet. From there, you can write your own ticket. Lastly, make sure you have integrity. Do what you say and mean what you say. That will solidify you with your customers and that will sell your product. Speaking of product, where can people purchase your book? My book Rewriting Financial Rules! is available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book formats. Once again, the book is about credit, the importance of credit, how the credit bureaus and your credit scores work and I give you 3 strategies to boost your credit scores. Last but not least, I educate individuals on how to utilize the consumer financial protection bureau to protect themselves from the credit bureaus and debt collection agencies. The book is also available at Barnes & Nobles. Lastly, you also have “The Darius Norman Show”. Do you care to care to talk about that as well? Yes! I’m glad that you brought that aspect up because Rewriting Financial Rules! put me in position where I’ve been on close to 100 radio shows and podcasts throughout the United States speaking on this matter. I was offered a new radio show in Central City, Kentucky. On the show, I talk about subject matters like what we’re discussing now but I also deal with a plethora of other subjects and people from different industries. The show airs Monday – Friday from 1pm – 2pm CST on WMTA 107.3 FM/1380 AM. It’s been a great endeavor so far, man. I am enjoying it and I’m still growing as a host. I like to reach out to young people of all races, backgrounds, etc. That’s my motto. Follow Darius Norman on Facebook: Darius Norman, on Twitter @dariusnormshow and on Instagram @the_darius_norman. Follow “The Darius Norman Show” on Instagram @darius_norman_host. Also, his website for the book is www.rewritingfinancialrulesllc.com. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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Ty Brasel growth
PHOTO: FOUR AGAINST FIVE, A DIVISION OF CURB | WORD ENTERTAINMENT
I heard “Praying Hands” for the first time after seeing it in the Facebook timeline as a sponsored ad early last year and I’ve been listening to it ever since. You all did a great job at promoting the record because it was all over my timeline. Being a designer myself, the artwork caught my attention. That’s awesome. It’s funny you say that because Facebook is where you get the most hate out of all of the social media platforms when sponsoring content. That’s where I stray from the most. Folks be on there talking crazy. I guess I forget that there are a lot of people that discover me and really like the music because of that. I felt like sponsoring ads on Facebook was hurting more than it was helping but that’s cool to hear. That’s one thing myself and my business partners talk about a lot. A lot of people are trying to figure out how to navigate social media and you have these platforms like Facebook and Instagram blocking content unless it’s being paid for. 5-7 years ago, you could post something and everyone would see it. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born in Memphis, Tennessee and I was raised on State Line Road where Tennessee and Mississippi touch. I was in both East Memphis and Olive Branch, MS and they both had a big role in shaping who I am. My pops left when I was about 9 or 10 and I didn’t really have a role model growing up so rappers became my role models because Hip Hop is what peaked my interest at the time. I started watching and learning from them but I was also raised in church. My mom brought me up in church but I was rebellious and didn’t want anything to do with it at the time. Right after middle school, I got into drugs and started selling drugs and getting into the party lifestyle. I would write and freestyle back then but it was real lowkey. I knew I had an interest in music but it wasn’t until I went to college that I started to pursue it. A friend and I started a music group together and that’s where it really started, for sure. Being from the area, who are your “Top 5” from Memphis? Oooh, Ok. So, when I was coming up in this area, everybody had to choose between Yo Gotti and Three 6 Mafia. For me, Gotti was more for my age range because I’m 24. I was born in 1994. It was Gotti, (Young) Dolph and even more recently, Moneybagg Yo but when we’re talking “Top 5” you have to put 8Ball and MJG in there and then the actual individuals in Three 6 Mafia could make up the top 5 itself, lol. But, in no particular order, probably Gotti, Dolph, 8Ball and MJG, and Juicy J or Scarecrow when we’re talking Memphis. That’s interesting you say that you’re 24 because I’m 35 and we are into a totally different generation when it comes to music from Memphis itself. I grew up in Clarksville, TN which is not too far from Nashville. I’ve been listening to Three 6 Mafia since I was in 8th grade and they are one of my favorite groups of all time but Playa Fly is one of my favorite artists out of Memphis as well. I can’t lie. I didn’t come up during that time but I knew about him because he had a song that had popped off when I was younger. I didn’t get to hear his catalog from when he was in his prime.
Q + A By Tyrone Davis
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Yea, I have a lot of ties down there and that’s another thing that attracted me to you in regard to Memphis and your label being based in Nashville. I’m always looking for talent down that way, trying to figure out how I can support them. Tell us about your album, “Destined For Greatness”. It started off as an EP, correct? Yep. Well, there was always a plan for it to be a full-length project but I’m always trying to be innovative when it comes to creative rollouts for a single, project, etc. I sit and come up with ideas a lot. The music business is over saturated so I was trying to figure out how to get the most attention and visibility for my songs and not allow them to be drowned out in the system. I realized people were doing EPs to minimize the amount of tracks being released at once but I’m a Hip Hop head and
I love the art of MC’ing and storytelling so I didn’t want to cheat myself. I broke the project up into two parts, which ended up being “Side A” and “Side B”. So, I released “Side A” and put out a bunch of videos to it and spread them out over a few months, then I released “Side B” and did the same thing. I wanted to give every song the most visibility possible. How would you categorize your music? Listening to “Praying Hands” and then going to listen to some of your other records, I didn’t want to put you in the “Gospel Rap” category but that’s what I was thinking. Is that correct? Yea, you’re right. I actually started out doing what people would call “secular” music when I was 18. I was selling drugs in college, I was a drug addict and I was on this really bad path. During my Freshman year, I had gotten arrested like 4 times and I had already been through some stuff in high school where I had this encounter that I felt was with God where he wanted me to change my life and my ways. When I got to college, I was faced with these ultimatums because I was probably going to have to spend some real time in jail if I kept getting charges added up. I didn’t want to spend my life in a box. I wanted to do something great because I knew I had a gift. So, I decided to walk with God and I dropped out of school in 2012 to move home. I started doing Christian Rap and over the last 6 years, I came up through the Christian Rap industry. My music kept getting better and people who weren’t necessarily a part of that industry rocked with it too. I was trying to make the best music possible that everyone could relate to so whatever you want to call it is cool. I just hope to make an impact with it, for sure. What makes the music dope is that is sounds like it could be played anywhere and it’s not “preachy” as a lot of people would normally believe about that kind of music. Also, you put a lot of attention into creating your visuals. What is your thought process behind putting videos together? I appreciate that, man. I think it depends on where you are in your career. When I first got started, I was trying to find people who were local and could do videos good enough for me to put out, but also at an affordable price just so I could get some kind of visual done. $250-$350 was my budget early on and as I started to grow, I’d try to do certain things with my visuals by looking for people in my current price range. But, I’m a firm believer in creativity and exhausting what you have in your immediate vicinity. You can do great things with little. So, how did you reach the point where you got signed? I put together my first mixtape and dropped it on Spinrilla and Rapzilla, which is the biggest Christian Rap media outlet and I just started gaining fans. I was constantly putting out music videos, I was working a real tough warehouse job and I was taking all of my money and pouring it into marketing myself. I was paying to get on websites, paying to get music videos done and promoted, graphics, shows, etc. I did anything to get visibility. I was hungry. I’m on my 5th project now and as I continue releasing music, more and more people continue to gravitate to it. I’ve gone on a couple of tours where artists have allowed me to open up for them and I’ve come up through the ranks like that and a couple of months ago, I did my first headlining tour that was 7 dates. It was just about that consistent and steady grind, you know? Just growing. A lot of people talk about what success means to them and for me, it’s constant growth. If I’m continuously growing (mentally, physically, spiritually), that’s a successful lifestyle. Follow Ty Brasel on Instagram and Twitter @Ty_Brasel, Facebook @Tybrasel and via his website www.tybrasel.com. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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SOMMORE Getting That Old Thing Back Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis Sommore is not only my favorite female comedian but she is also one of my favorite comedians of all time, period. I enjoy conversations like these because I have a deep respect for the entertainers I grew up watching and there is so much to learn from them. Personally, it’s one of those things that make what I do fufilling. I’d like to encourage everyone to find whatever it is that you enjoy and make it make sense. Life is short. How has it been touring with Mike Epps? This tour kicked off last January and we did 30 cities up front until the beginning of May. We took off for the summer and ended up getting back to it in October. I’m a big fan of Mike Epps so whenever I get a chance to work with him, I’m exited. I’m not one of those people that wait until people die to say, “Oh, he was great!” you know, like people say that Richard Pryor was great? I believe that when you’re walking amongst greatness, you recognize it at that time. I’m excited to work with him every weekend and to see what he is going to bring that’s new and how the audience is going to respond to him. I’m a fan, first. He’s definitely gifted. I don’t even think he realizes how gifted he is. I was reading your bio and one thing I realized is that other than what I read at that moment, I don’t know much about you outside of your comedy. I believe a lot of people in my generation are probably in the same boat. Right. I like it that way. I think that you guys are into the social media era where ya’ll tell everything. I think in entertainment, there has to be a mystique about it. I believe that. Personally, I don’t want to know everything about everybody. I want to like people for what they do. Right. They say you shouldn’t meet your heros or know too much about them because they may disappoint you. With my generation in particular, I think they have or are trying to recategorize us because we fall on that borderline where we are into the internet, but we are old enough to remember how to operate when we didn’t have it. So, ya’ll are too old to be doing some of the things ya’ll are doing. That’s what it looks like, lol. Absolutely, lol. A lot of us are. You were in Atlanta before you started doing comedy, correct? Are you from there? I just went to college in Atlanta and I started doing stand up there but I’ve lived all over. I’m from New Jersey, I’ve lived in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Texas and I live in Miami now. The beautiful thing about what I do is that I can live anywhere. Did you start doing comedy during college? I had graduated from college, I worked for a minute and then TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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I owned my own business. I just had an entrepreneurial spirit. I was a fan of comedy, I loved stand up and I just wanted to try to do it. I read a book called, How To Be A Comedian. The book still exists till this day. I did what the book said to do and it’s been nothing but greatness for me. Dope. Now, you mentioned the newer generations. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding people being more politically correct in the social media era and comedians are being put to the fire for saying certain things in their routines. How do you feel about that now, being that people are much more sensitive than they were? We’re in a time now where there are more cameras than ever and people talk slicker than ever but yet people are more sensitive. It’s one of those things that we are just going to have to get over. It’s still freedom of speech. Do you think that can happen? It’s a slippery slope and I think people enjoy being about to take celebrities down and I think it’s more of a jealousy thing. They see people doing great things and they want to find any reason to pick them apart but it seems like we’re all going to be victims of it if we continue to allow this type of thing to happen. The thing about it is, I think we’re in a mean-spirited culture. Society is very mean spirited. Every show you look at on television is either a reality TV show where they have a bunch of drama going on and they are arguing or it’s a talk show where all they do is talk negatively about people. Then, they tell the kids not to bully each other. It’s coming back to haunt everybody. I know someone who watches a lot of reality television. You can’t keep consuming that on a daily basis and it not have a negative impact on you. Here is the thing about it. When reality TV isn’t real, what does that say? It’s no longer real and everything is scripted. The complaint that the reality show stars have is that when they don’t fight, the show doesn’t show it because it’s not interesting enough. Real life isn’t that interesting. If somebody filmed you all day, people wouldn’t be interested in that. We’re learning and trying new things but some things work and some don’t. All you can do is not get caught up in the middle of it. Entertaining people is very hard these days. The TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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average person is desensitized to drama and violence. It’s crazy. I had just watched your stand up, “The Reign Continues” on Netflix a few weeks ago. How do you keep people’s attention when you’re on stage and how to do you approach it in order to keep people laughing? The thing about making people laugh is that everybody has been funny before. Everybody has had that moment. Being a comedian is when you know the difference between being funny in a barbershop or hair salon or being funny with your cousins. The things I talk about are not the same as what your cousins talk about. As a professional, you have to know what you can talk about that will hold people’s attention. It has to be universal enough but yet common enough that it can be for everybody and that takes experience. There are certain instincts you have to know as an artist. Secondly, either you have it or you don’t. Just because you do it doesn’t mean you’re going to be successful at it. Being a woman in this particular field and also a woman who is attractive, how do you manage to do both? There is an old stereotype that says women who are pretty aren’t necessarily as funny. What is your take on that? I don’t walk around thinking I’m cute and attractive but I think that even society is now taking a different approach to that. What is attractive nowadays is totally different from what was attractive back in the day. I grew up when bowlegs were the joint, lol. Now, it’s ass and the ass ain’t even real. Now, it’s hair and the hair ain’t even real. It’s a whole other world and I’m excited about it. I really am. The way I handle being a woman in this business is by just being true to who I am and I don’t base it on being a woman that is attractive. The reason I asked is because we’ve heard that stereotype for a long time and I was watching an interview with a female comedian (Von Decarlo) the other day and she mentioned that stereotype as well. Basically, the stereotype says that when women aren’t as attractive, they have to make up for it in other ways like being funny so it’s not very common to see women who are beautiful that have to be funny as well. What is crazy is that when I started doing stand-up, Hollywood didn’t see black women as funny unless they were really black, fat or unattractive. That’s what they thought was funny. See, that’s what I meant by that. That’s always been a thing so with you, you’re the opposite of that. How does that work? Then they’ll say that I’m angry or they’ll say that we’re loud. Here is the thing. It works. I don’t know how it works, but it works. I don’t focus on that. Gotcha. A lot of comedians end up doing some acting during their careers. Do you enjoy acting as much as stand-up? No, let me tell you. Stand-up is instant gratification. You get there, you hit that stage, you do your part and you go home. When you do movies, you’re there ALL DAY LONG. Somebody else might mess up their part and you have to start all over again. You’ll shoot one scene 8 times, oh my God. You have to be so patient. Imagine having lunch having a good time and you have to go back to work and play sad. You have to really love it to do it and I prefer stand up. I am a stand-up comedian. What about working behind the scenes like writing, producing and things of that nature? I produced all of my stand up specials. I’ve spent my own money on each of them and have done them myself. I’m probably one of the only comedians that have done that. I did it out of necessity. I’m into ownership. I shoot specials. I own them and I resell them over and over and over again. Do you believe you’ve gotten your just due yet? Bank of America says “Yes”, but sometimes as a human being I TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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always feel like I can do better. I’m still hungry in it. I’m one of those comedians that still sell out shows. That’s a beautiful thing. I know that there are different levels to it.
>> 2009-2019
What are the demographics of your shows these days? Is your audience growing with younger people or is it my age group and older? The crazy thing about it is that when I started doing stand up, I was 25 years old so the people watching me were probably older than me. People come to my shows who are older, my age and younger. People tell me all the time that they used to sneak and watch me on Comic View as a kid. The beauty of it is that I’m able to relate to all demographics. I love that. Speaking of “Comic View”, I was one of the ones watching it as a kid as well. I wasn’t sneaking and watching it but I was watching it. The reruns ran on BET every night, lol. That was the great part, right? Yea! BET was…..I don’t know what happen to BET. Anyway, how did hosting the show come about? It was the vehicle and the venue for comedians to do. It was just a normal progression as a stand-up comedian. You’d do Def Comedy Jam and you’d do Comic View. I was actually in a contest (I’ll never be in another contest ever again) and whoever won the contest had a chance to be the host and I ended up winning. Hosting was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my career because it put me in households every single night and nobody played reruns more than BET so imagine being on TV 5 times a day. It was awesome. How many seasons did you host? 1 season but if you know anything about BET, if they put a 30 minute movie on BET, they’d string it out for 2 hours. Yea, that’s why I was asking because it seemed like it was way longer than that. Exactly, lol. BET is going to milk it. Also, I’m glad that I’m speaking with you in particular about this. During that time there was a set of skits running on “Comic View” with the Latina lady and D’Militant on there. I don’t remember all of the details. I just remember they were in a hotel. I remember. I hated that. For some reason, they didn’t think that stand-up comedy was enough. It was called Dewberry Inn or something like that. They just wanted to try something else. *Note: I had to go look those skits up afterward. It was actually called, “Nuthin But a Woman” and was later retitled “The Blackberry Inn”. I watched a clip and it got me hype and brought back a lot of memories, lol. By the way, that Latina lady’s name is Ada Luz Pla. What do you have planned for 2019? Anything special? 2019, I just want that old thing back and by old thing I’m talking about my waistline, my hairline, some old dudes, anything. Just that old thing back. Bring it. Well, I appreciate you for speaking with us. Thank you, Tyrone Davis. You know you got a famous name, right? I’ve been hearing it my whole life. I need for people to think of me at some point when they think of that name. You have a long way to go. That man is legendary. I know it. Absolutely. Follow Sommore on Twitter @Sommoresofunny, on Instagram @sommore and Facebook: Sommore. Photo of Sommore submitted by Sisoyev PR. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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a society where everything is being done for them. Growing up for me, there was no Google. We had to get the encyclopedia Britannica and look things up ourselves.
Guy Torry GOD & HARD WORK Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis
Comedian, producer, writer and actor Guy Torry has had a lengthy career in the entertainment business, appearing on multiple stages and in memorable films such as “Life”, “American History X, “Pearl Harbor” and “Sunset Park”. The 26 year vet discussed teaching and learning from the new generation, his experience working on “American History X” and the “Martin” sitcom and the significance of maintaining a relationship with God meshed with hard work. Take heed. Being a veteran comedian, how have you adjusted in this new era of entertainers and technology? You have to embrace this new technology and the millennials. Every generation craps on the next one and I’m not going to be that old “get off of my lawn” guy. We can learn from each other. This generation doesn’t have to work as hard to be noticed as we did but they still have to put in some work. Things come a little easier for them but it’s not their fault. My generation can’t knock them for the new opportunities because the generation before mine knocked us for Def Comedy Jam and BET saying “We didn’t have those black networks to put us on”. Well, don’t be mad at us because we do, lol. So, my generation can’t be mad but what I do want the millennials to do is to put in that work on stage as well. They are doing a great job at the videos and the sketches because that’s not easy to do but I want them to be able to put on a live show. People who spend their income want a show. I’m hearing from the streets that some of them aren’t doing that. I know that within the last few years, the new comedians have been up under a lot of scrutiny for not being dope live but here recently some of them have been developing their craft and doing their thing. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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Absolutely, like DC Young Fly. I put Karlos Miller in that category as well as Ms. Pretty Ricki. Jess Hilarious has come a long way in her stand-up game. She’s around Lil Rel (Howery) now on his show and he is a hell of a comedian and I’m sure it’s rubbing off on her. That’s the thing, man. I’ve taken Ms. Pretty Ricki under my wing and I have her open for me so I’m sure she’s learning from me and I’m learning from her about social media. These pairings need to continue to happen. There is enough money out here for all of us. Black people have this “crabs in a barrel” mentality that we need to shed. Let’s band together and take this entertainment business over by storm, together. I’ve been listening to a lot of comedians lately speaking about being in the politically correct era and I’ve also interview a few comedians as well. The responses have been unanimous in reference to how you all feel about it but I’m going to ask you anyway. How do you feel about politically correctness and sensitivity these days? I can give a f**k about being politically incorrect. I’m going to say what I’m going to say. I am who I am and the thing about it is I think we do live in a world where we are getting softer. I’ve grown up. I turned 50 recently so I didn’t grow up where everyone gets a trophy and everyone is a winner. I didn’t grow up being coddled. If you got bullied then hey, bully back. You man up or woman up. I’m not condoning bullying but when I came up, I better not had come home saying someone was bullying me. I understand that everyone isn’t wired to defend themselves but you have to approach that on a case by case basis. You don’t learn by everyone being a winner. People are already being raised in
We had to put in that work. We had to go to a library and now everything is right at the tip of your fingers so this generation doesn’t have to work as hard and it’s bleeding over into everything else. If everybody gets a trophy and you’re not good, you got rewarded for being mediocre. You got rewarded for sucking. We have to find a way to encourage this generation to work hard not make things so accessible so people can value work and the position once they get there. If you get there easy, you don’t respect it nor protect it. Being the younger brother of Joe Torry, how did you both end up in the entertainment business? I probably wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for my brother, Joe. Joe was the one who had the idea of being a comedian and moved to LA first. Me being number 5 of 6 kids and having 4 older siblings, I always tried to do what they did. My oldest sister was a journalist and I dabbled in writing. She’s a writer.
Those moments are serious so you’ll hurt that character and storyline trying to be funny. All that drama around the set helped me because it was pissing me off like, “You all are bullshitting”. I owe all the credit to God because he has a way of putting opportunities in front of me and putting the right energy around me. I’m just being 100 right now. It was all God and that hard work because when I first got to LA, I was in comedy clubs almost 5-6 nights a week, 2 times a night, grinding. I was getting on stage and writing. I was a PA for the “Martin” show, making connections and delivering scripts and I ended up writing an episode the very next season. You don’t really hear about those happenings like that. “Martin” is my favorite show of all time, man. What episode was it that you wrote? It was an episode called The Romantic Weekend. It’s when Martin (Martin Lawrence) and Gina (Tisha Campbell) went on this vacation and got attacked by this rat. That was the first script I ever wrote.
Another older sister ran track. I ran track in high school. Joe and my other brother was in the military and he played football and he drew. I played football and drew but I wasn’t going into no G**damn military. Joe wrestled, played football and was in a band. Joe paved the way and was a pioneer for the Torry family in entertainment but it’s all in us. You’re born with it. It just lays dormant until something happens.
Oh, that’s amazing, man. People love that episode. That’s one of the funniest episodes. Every time somebody finds out that I wrote that script, they say “Man, that’s my favorite episode!” and some people will see my name in the credits. Over the last 26 years, I’ve done a lot of work like “Wow”.
I was always a class clown and wanted attention and to cheer people up so stand-up is the perfect outlet for that. It was hard work but people may think coming up under Joe made it easy. Some of it was easier, like for the first 4 years I didn’t have to worry about getting a job even though I had a job but I was living with Joe. I didn’t have to worry about the pressures of having to pay bills, which was a tremendous help. When you’re starting out with anything, you need your mind clear. You need to be focused. If you’re focused on finances, it could hurt or help your journey depending on how you’re wired.
That’s a great career and you know that episode was funny because you could even hear the castmates in the background laughing during the rat scene in particular. Lol. It was crazy, man.
With all of the racial tension that is going on right now, I wanted to ask you specifically about your experience on the film “American History X”. I have that film on DVD and the first time I saw it….it was crazy, bro. It was tough because the director was Jewish and from London so doing a movie about someone who hates anybody who is not purely white is difficult. If you’ve heard of “method actors”, he’s a “method director” and he wanted real skinheads in the movie as extras. They would bring in busses of real skinheads from Orange County, CA to be on the set and a lot of days, I was the only brother on the set. There were no black people on the crew anywhere for the most part. Some days there were but I was the only one most of the time. It was funny because of the tension and the stares. I do this bit about how they couldn’t wait to rehearse. They always wanted to practice lines and all they had was the line “N*****r”. I’m like “Damn! I’m sure you don’t need to rehearse that. You’re just trying to get a free pass to say it in my face!” So, it was difficult. It was the director’s first film and he and Ed Norton weren’t seeing eye to eye and I was caught in the middle. It was stressful because there were fights everyday with the director and the star and with the director and the producers. It was a toxic situation but it worked in my favor because I was able to put that stress into that character. It made me be dramatic because as a comedian, we’re always looking for the joke.
What’s on the agenda for 2019? The first project will be a multi-part documentary series on a comedy night I created called, Phat Tuesdays which was the greatest night of the history of comedy, period. Lol, period. A lot of the comedians you see today that have box office and tour success came through this room when LA, black comedy, Hollywood and the world needed it. This room helped them get there. I won’t take credit for making anybody and I’m not narcissistic enough to think that room alone did it but it didn’t help a lot of comedians get to where they are right now, understand the business, be seen and given the confidence to go on when they may have thought comedy wasn’t for them. Like Richard Pryor being there and someone is feeling like they bombed and then he’s waving them over telling them, “Hey, you’re funny! Keep going!” Those words of encouragement from the king made them go a little bit further. Those things all happened because that night was there. It helped sustain some careers Alright, man. Lastly, how can people get in contact with you via social media? Social media, man. People, please get at me on social media. I’m trying to get my social media game up. It’s @guytorry on Instagram and Twitter. I need 50,000! I appreciate everyone’s support all these years, including yours, your readers, your listeners, anyone who ever bought a ticket to my show, anyone who ever snuck into one of my shows, anyone who has ever watched any movie I was in, etc. I couldn’t have done it without you and I appreciate you all for holding me up for 26 years. Photo of Guy Torry submitted by Sisoyev PR. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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If you grew up in the 90s and are a fan of stand-up comedy, chances are you are familiar with comedian, Earthquake. He and I spoke about internet outrage, the importance of representing your brand or employer properly and why he doesn’t believe in apologizing. For the younger generation, what is your background? I’m from Southeast D.C. and I live in Atlanta now. I joined the military then I left that and became a comedian. The rest of it is history, man. Never looked back. I grew up a military brat and we moved around a little bit and spent some time in Germany. How did you end up getting into comedy from the military? That wasn’t my destiny. They say the military is a great place to start so that’s where I started. It was a blessing and you get to see the world and meet new people from ethnic backgrounds and environments. Afterward, it was time to move on. This is the 2nd time I’ve heard that because I spoke with Donnell Rawlings last week (Donnell also said he was in the military)....... Lol, yea. That ashy bastard. He’s a LIAR, man! Lol, the next time you talk to him, tell him “Quake said you’re a LIAR!” He’ll know what I’m talking about. That’s one of my best friends. He’s a good dude. He’s from D.C. too. Voice-acting is an interesting profession to me and I’ve interviewed a voice-actress (Courtenay Taylor) for video games recently. How do you approach voice-acting over being in front of a camera? Do you improv? I mean, it’s just different. You just have to focus on your voice vs. actually acting. I prefer that because you can just sit in the booth and make the words come to life. Improving depends on the discretion of the director.
NO APOLOGIES Words + Interview By Tyrone Davis
In reference to comedy, you have been active for a long time, the world is constantly changing and the big conversation right now is about everyone being overly sensitive. I don’t really ever succumb to the pressures of society. I stick with the job description. I feel if you get offended by a comedian, it’s more of a reflection of you than the comedian. There is no such thing as a joke that will not offend anyone. It’s all said in humor and if it’s not said in a malicious way, you need to go along with the joke. It really states that you have a problem with yourself when you allow a clown to insult you or hurt your self-esteem. That is just my personal opinion. I don’t succumb to the pressures nor do I believe in apologizing. A lot of times, even average Joes end up having the same issues when they say things that are meant to be funny as well and overall, anybody can get it. People are being fired everyday.... Yes, but they don’t have the same job description. Your pastor shouldn’t say certain things. Words have consequences. I don’t expect my surgeon to be cracking jokes or saying inappropriate things while he/she is operating on me. You have me on a gurney. That’s not appropriate, but if I’m saying this in the context of a comedy club or somewhere where it’s about my occupation, content matters. That’s the bottom line. I think you have a small amount of people who are going to be offended by anything and you can’t allow the few to dictate to the masses. People are being fired for things they do in their daily lives for things they are saying when they are off the clock. That stuff is going all the way back to the gig and sometimes I understand it but sometimes it’s harmless and people are using that as a weapon where anything you say that they don’t like, they are looking up who you work for and they are trying to get you fired. Just wanted to clarify that. I feel you on that but people have to know which company they represent when they are an employee of that company. It’s economics. If the consumers are no longer going to participate with your employer based on what you said on or off the job
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based on that responsibility, then they are doing their due diligence, you know? So, you as an employee have to make sure it doesn’t damage how you make your living. You can’t be a building manager and be sitting with another building manager talking about, “Black people shouldn’t be in these buildings”. Of course I don’t want to stay in the building where the manager I just saw at his building didn’t want black people to be there. If I own the building and I get rent from residents that live in that building, of course I’m going to fire the manager of my building who is on social media saying derogatory things about people who are or could potentially be my consumers. I mean, some of it is common sense. So basically, you’re not as free to say what you’d like to say unless you own your own company. I think if they owned a company, they wouldn’t act that way. It’s easy to play with other people’s money and be derogatory with somebody else’s s**t but if they had to deal with the financial consequences and it was their bottom line, their attitudes would be completely different. With that being said, you had mentioned not believing in apologizing. A lot of comedians have come to the aid of Kevin Hart in regard to his situation with the Oscars and his old tweets. What is your take on it? I think it’s hypocrisy. There is no community and there should be no community that you can’t make a joke about. The gay community asks everyone to evolve. They’re looking for change and they want to educate. He (Kevin Hart) educated himself from where he was to where he is now. If you say you want people to change and see the equality in all of us and he does that, you’re still going to hold him accountable for something that he said 10 or 11 years ago? Do you want us to evolve or do you want revenge? He said he’s sorry, he isn’t what he was before and when he said it, it was in the context of his profession. So, the issue to me is hypocrisy at the highest level. What’s interesting about your statement is that I’ve never heard it broken down this way before. The word “revenge” in itself is crazy. How do you deal with backlash or hecklers if you have any when you are performing? I don’t deal with hecklers because I don’t travel with a working monkey. You’re the fool to spend your money and sit here only to feel you’re a part of the show. I don’t have a partner. I’m an independent contractor. I don’t deal with hecklers that much because hecklers don’t mess with Quake. My tickets are high enough that want me to do the work because you want to get your monies worth. In reference to stand-up, my generation grew up watching a lot of it but I don’t think the kids of today get comedy the same way. Maybe you can speak to that since you’re at these shows. What do you think about these new comics? Vine, Instagram, etc. is just another platform for the new comics that don’t have a platform like we had like Def Comedy Jam and BET’s Comic View. I have nothing against any way that you do it as long as you stay to the job description that comes with being a comedian. You have to hit the stage, you have to get instant gratification or instant failure. That will determine if a joke is there. The only unfortunate thing about being a social media comedian is that there is nobody to tell you if your joke doesn’t work. Those who stick to the job description will be good and those who don’t will eventually understand that they have to do more than that because that stage is not kind. Lastly, what’s on the schedule for 2019? We’re doing TV and the tour, of course. I also have my own radio show on Kevin Hart’s “Laugh Out Loud Radio” channel. It’s called, Quake’s House and it’s on SiriusXM (channel 96) Monday-Friday from 1-3pm PST/4-6pm EST. Follow Earthquake on social media @TheRealEarthquake. Photo of Earthquake submitted by Sisoyev PR. TWENTY4SEVEN MAGAZINE
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CHECK ME OUT ASPECT ZAVI IT'S TIME TO FOCUS
Wet Wet Folks” cracked the net at 9.1 Million views in 2016, Zavi has kept his fans stuck on the industry’s trendiest dances. Beyond the movement, Zavi’s music is lively with relevant lyrics and crazy beats that keep his supporters intrigued.
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An all-around talent and star on the rise, Zavi’s intricate and bold sense of fashion is unmatched. From his electric blue coils and brilliantly colored eyes to mismatched sneakers, and colorful swag, his popping appearance warrants a double and triple take. His unique fashion sense has even caught the attention of popular clothing companies 8and9, Young & Reckless, Baws Clothing, and Fashion Nova Men; landing him endorsements with the brands. Although Zavi is young and full of life, he looks at life, love, and parenthood seriously. His is a voice with much to say and a bevy of listeners. He doesn’t take lightly his status as a role model for his generation, and believes now is the perfect time to reinforce his impact on the culture with his high voltage energy and the guidance of his record label, prominent indie BMB Entertainment.
Written by Treavion Davenport Aspect Zavi is a singer, rapper, and dancer from Dallas, Texas. He is widely known for his entertaining lifestyle vlogs on Youtube where he has racked up over 400,000 subscribers doing pranks, dances and preparing for the birth of his baby girl, with his girlfriend Vanessa Lynn. Born Za’Vier Mykel James on March 25, 1998, in Chicago, Illinois, Aspect Zavi is a natural born entertainer and a people person who connects with his 500K + fans on and off social media, on a more personal level than most. Zavi responds regularly in the comment sections and engages with his supporters, establishing a sense of genuineness. In addition to a charisma and sincerity that keeps audiences enthralled, Zavi’s synchronized dance moves never cease to warrant viral status. Since his dance rendition to Shuicide Holla’s ‘Hit Them
Zavi’s new single “Focus”, produced by BMB records beat maker Jeiwes the Soundman, gives listeners a bit more insight on the artist’s struggle with balancing the pursuit of his musical dreams and maintaining a committed, healthy and public relationship, both which mean a great deal to him. According to Za’Vier “when there’s too much to focus on, just concentrate on family and the priorities that matter the most.” It’s perhaps Aspect Zavi’s vulnerability and down to earth persona that makes it impossible for us to keep our eyes and ears off of him. Fans and new audiences can catch a glimpse of Zavi on stages and other venues across the country in 2019. “Focus” (BMB Records) is available on iTunes and all music platforms. Follow Zavi on IG @aspectzavi_. Follow Treavion Davenport on IG @treadavenport.
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